school is around the corner and i wanna know from all oklahomans what they think is the best college town in oklahoma? What town in oklahoma just overfills college atmosphere?

Norman of course. Any other answer, like Sillywater, would just be silly.

Norman of course. Any other answer, like Sillywater, would just be silly.

Agree.

Norman all the way, although Stillwater is pretty good, too. For a small college town, I've always liked Tahlequah.

Norman. I'm not being biased, I swear. ;) I miss college!

Norman of course. Any other answer, like Sillywater, would just be silly.

That's something I can agree with Spartan on.

I went to OU but Norman is no longer a "college town", it is more like Lawrence, Lincoln or Boulder which are no longer college towns, as they have become burbs of larger cities. Stillwater, College Station, Columbia, Manhattan, Ames are college towns, far enough away from a bigger city for the town to still be centered around the college. Then there is Austin or Columbus, Ohio, they have outgrown the college town environment and are now cities with colleges in them, having the state capitol located there probably had much to do with it as well. Lubbock and Waco...are just Lubbock and Waco, not really either of those classifications.

Although Norman has grown a lot, that's been mainly on the west side of town where most students never venture.

The campus just keeps getting better and Campus Corner is really thriving.

The key is to live on or near campus and if you do, the setting is fantastic.

It is definitely Stillwater, having gone to both OU and OSU. Norman has become a suburb and all the students go home in the middle of the week and on weekends, except the abnoxious kids from Texas.

It is definitely Stillwater, having gone to both OU and OSU. Norman has become a suburb and all the students go home in the middle of the week and on weekends, except the abnoxious kids from Texas.

Kids from Texas, specifically DFW, now make up half of each freshman class. Drive through the campus area and you will see more Texas license plates than Oklahoma.

And yes I agree Norman is very much a suburb of OKC and an integral part of the OKC Metro. Yet the area around OU is still very much a small college town environment even though the rest of the city with 100,000+ people around it may not be.

Norman is not a merely a suburb. It is above the likes of Moore, Yukon, or whatever. I agree it has become more of a suburban setting as it grows past it's college-dependent past, but it's roots and center are soley college oriented, even if it's outskirts are comprised of typical cookie cutter houses and strip malls.

Norman hands down.

It is definitely Stillwater, having gone to both OU and OSU. Norman has become a suburb and all the students go home in the middle of the week and on weekends, except the abnoxious kids from Texas.

That's funny because my OSU friends were the ones who would always go home because there wasn't anything to do in Stoolwater. There would be many times they'd venture down to OKC and Norman to hang out with their OU counterparts.

And as for "going home in the middle of the week and on weekends," I find that hard to believe. I guess it's due to the fact that most of my friends and I were from out of state. Going home wasn't really an option unless it was during Thanksgiving or Christmas breaks.

I agree with Pete on this. As a student, I never really ventured off into the burb-y/Westside areas of Norman. The area around campus definitely has a great, college feel to it. You can't really say that about Lubbock or Waco.

Kids from Texas, specifically DFW, now make up half of each freshman class. Drive through the campus area and you will see more Texas license plates than Oklahoma.

Half of each freshman class? Where'd you get that figure from? OU's "campus profile" pdf that I have from 2008 claims 5,490 non-resident undergraduates and 13,177 Oklahoma residents--by those figures, OOS students make up about 29% of the undergraduate population. Collegeview claims 25% for OU, 23% for OSU. I realize Texans have a presence at both universities, but be realistic here...

That's funny because my OSU friends were the ones who would always go home because there wasn't anything to do in Stoolwater. There would be many times they'd venture down to OKC and Norman to hang out with their OU counterparts.



So lower the drinking age back to 18 and there will be more bars springing up in Stillwater than the average person could bar hop to in a night. After all, didn't Playboy magazine name OSU one of the most partying college campuses back when drinking in bars was legal at 18?

Half of each freshman class? Where'd you get that figure from? OU's "campus profile" pdf that I have from 2008 claims 5,490 non-resident undergraduates and 13,177 Oklahoma residents--by those figures, OOS students make up about 29% of the undergraduate population. Collegeview claims 25% for OU, 23% for OSU. I realize Texans have a presence at both universities, but be realistic here...

Yeah, half is a bit much per OU Factbook 2009 (http://www.ou.edu/provost/ir/Factbook_2009/09_Master.htm)

According to the OU factbook, Fall 2008 enrollment included 3,848 students from Texas.

Norman of course. Any other answer, like Sillywater, would just be silly.

Ha, I bet Stillwater would be the state's favorite college town, if only it was OSU rather than OU doing pretty good at football and basketball after all these years. If that was so, then T. Boone Pickens Stadium could seat 100,000 or more, rather than 60,000.

I have a feeling this thread is moving towards an osu vs ou thing.

But I kind of think that Norman being the third biggest city in the state keeps it out of the college town debate.

It is definitely Stillwater, having gone to both OU and OSU. Norman has become a suburb and all the students go home in the middle of the week and on weekends, except the abnoxious kids from Texas.


actually the middle of the week, Wednesday, especially during the summer is a huge party night. during the schoolyear it's Thursday night that is party night.

I have a feeling this thread is moving towards an osu vs ou thing.

But I kind of think that Norman being the third biggest city in the state keeps it out of the college town debate.


What the f*&^?

That is asinine. Norman is the ultimate college town. It's no bigger than Madison, Wisconsin (also a capital) or Ann Arbor, Michigan, or all of the great college towns in this country.

It is a college town, period. One of my associates was there on business last week and tons of businesses were closed, "awaiting the students."

The North and West sides of town are clearly bedroom community, but most of the town revolves around OU.

UCO Edmond!! :sofa:

I've also been to both OU & OSU, getting a degree at both. When comparing Norman and Stillwater, it's like compariing apples & oranges. Merely for the reason that Stillwater is by itself in the plains, OSU/Stillwater are much more of a cloistered and tight-knit of a community than are OU/Norman. So, that makes OSU/Stillwater more of a college town than OU/Norman. Both are good, but they are different.

Yeah, in comparing apples and oranges, unlike Norman, Stillwater can be referred to as a blue collar college town, due to its industrial plants. For instance, I bet very few people know that Stillwater is where Rolling Stone and ESPN magazines are printed and distributed throughout the nation. A lot of people who think Stillwater is so pitifully small that it can only possibly be oriented around OSU may never get around to knowing that there's another side to Stillwater. If that happens to distract from Stillwater as the best college town, compared to Norman, than that's tough.

For instance, I bet very few people know that Stillwater is where Rolling Stone and ESPN magazines are printed.

I just read about that last week. I had no idea!

The area around campus definitely has a great, college feel to it. You can't really say that about Lubbock.


Yes you can.

Although I will confess I'm a recent May grad from OU, I've been in both extensively and can say that Norman wins out. Yes Norman is big and shows no signs of slowing down, but I think its a plus for the city. In Stillwater, if your not from a small town or into drinking beer and red dirt music your not going to like it. I didn't say that, but I heard those words from several other OSU grads. You could probably say the same about OU and football, but the size of the town puts a check on this. I know frat boys, jocks, artsy liberal arts types, intellectuals, and others who thrive in Norman. Its that level of diversity that defines a college town. I will say Stillwater however is probably more close knit and authentic. Also, the distance to OKC is a plus in my favor. I can tell you by indirect experience that is much easier to lure top staff and faculty to a college if there is a big city nearby. Another college town that shouldn't be overlooked is Tahlequah. I would rank it a close second to Norman.

And for what its worth, I'm one of those snooty Dallas kids who came up to Norman, and is now gladly living in OKC with a good paying job in my field. Just had to add that :dizzy:

Stillwater really is a nice little college town. I just like the area around OU better. :)

BTW, the "college town" thing is almost a completely foreign concept on the west coast. Most schools here are in bigger urban areas... And I personally don't care for that at all.

My perspective comes from the people leaving to "go to the city" to party instead of of staying in the "college town" to have their fun. Even in the early 80's when I was at OU and beer was still 18 many would leave to go to clubs in OKC for the weekend. Maybe it was because I grew up in OKC that it wasn't as big of an attraction to me. I found plenty of places to go in Norman, and my GPA showed that...

Every decent sized college in a big city has a "college area" around it, here in Austin there is The Drag (Guadalupe by the campus) that has a college feel but it just doesn't have that same appeal as some of the other districts in more traditional college towns.

Pete - yes, the college town idea does seem to be more of a Southern or Midwestern oriented thing.

So Adanial, are you saying thatTahlequah, from being a smaller place than Stillwater, makes it a better college town?

In Stillwater, if your not from a small town or into drinking beer and red dirt music your not going to like it.

I'm not "in" to any of those things or from a small town, but I really enjoyed my time in Stillwater. So did nearly all of my friends, most of whom do not fit this stereotype. I suppose it's all about what you're willing to make of it. I kept myself very busy at OSU but had plenty of fun doing it.


I can tell you by indirect experience that is much easier to lure top staff and faculty to a college if there is a big city nearby.

Where the state of Oklahoma is concerned, I can assure you that OU's proximity to OKC has very little direct effect on its ability to recruit faculty--at least faculty worth recruiting, that is. I don't know what "indirect experience" you have, but my very direct experience in academia has shown me that it's hardly about the location, but almost entirely about--you guessed it--the money. Yeah, location might play a role in deciding between, say, UC Santa Barbara and Purdue, but between OU and OSU? Not like you're insinuating.

It's also a matter of what kind of person you are. If your passions in life are skeet shootin and hog raisin and beer drinkin then Stoolwater is your place. If you like learning, music, and art, then Norman is your place.

Every decent sized college in a big city has a "college area" around it, here in Austin there is The Drag (Guadalupe by the campus) that has a college feel but it just doesn't have that same appeal as some of the other districts in more traditional college towns.

The Drag may not have the same quaint appeal as the typical college town, but I have to admit: of all the many universities I've visited, I've never seen such a vibrant college area as Guadalupe and west campus at UT. I confess, I spent my first year of grad school in west campus--let's just say I wonder how the undergrads here don't all flunk out.

It's also a matter of what kind of person you are. If your passions in life are skeet shootin and hog raisin and beer drinkin then Stoolwater is your place. If you like learning, music, and art, then Norman is your place.

Behold, ladies and gentlemen! The remarkable insight and wit of a product of the University of Oklahoma!

The Drag may not have the same quaint appeal as the typical college town, but I have to admit: of all the many universities I've visited, I've never seen such a vibrant college area as Guadalupe and west campus at UT. I confess, I spent my first year of grad school in west campus--let's just say I wonder how the undergrads here don't all flunk out.
I got into enough "trouble" in Norman, I probably wouldn't have lasted as long down here back then. In some ways it might be a good thing that I didn't move here when I was younger.

Behold, ladies and gentlemen! The remarkable insight and wit of a product of the University of Oklahoma!

I try. And btw, at the moment, I go to a college that is very far from Oklahoma.

It's also a matter of what kind of person you are. If your passions in life are skeet shootin and hog raisin and beer drinkin then Stoolwater is your place. If you like learning, music, and art, then Norman is your place.
But, on the other hand, if one has a propensity to drift into the zone of being a smart ass from time to time, such a person would naturally like Norman better. :dizzy:

Of course.

It's also a matter of what kind of person you are. If your passions in life are skeet shootin and hog raisin and beer drinkin then Stoolwater is your place. If you like learning, music, and art, then Norman is your place.

You forgot about Stillwater's world renowned animal "husbandry." Not sure if I'm referring to the degree or the activity. Oh wait, yep I'm sure.

Funny thing is, most of you OU fans posting on this thread most likely did not go to the University of Oklahoma. You are only arguing that it is a better college town because you like the football team. Congratulations!

Funny thing is, most of you OU fans posting on this thread most likely did not go to the University of Oklahoma. You are only arguing that it is a better college town because you like the football team. Congratulations!

Even if that is true, how is it relevant? Or funny? Or remarkable?

I didn't attend school in Milan, but I would have no doubt the "fashion scene" there is better than in Stillwater. So what is the problem?

...and the ignorance runs wild...

Even if that is true, how is it relevant? Or funny? Or remarkable?

I didn't attend school in Milan, but I would have no doubt the "fashion scene" there is better than in Stillwater. So what is the problem?

Problem? No problem, s-s-ssir! geez! Finding stylish clothes and gaunt-looking people with pursed lips strutting down a runway, do not a college town make! <sarcasm>

Funny, the OP asked what's the best college town and not what's the best college. But when you are 18, first time away from mommy and daddy, it doesn't matter if it's artsy fartsy Norman types or OSU hog-calling, beer-drinking rednecks, you WILL have fun. I know I did, and I went to Cameron when I was 17 and had a blast!

Apart from the OU/OSU pissing contest, are there other nice college towns in OK?

Someone mentioned Talequah but I've never been there.

I've not been to Tahlequah in several years but I recall thinking that it a beautiful town ... of course, in that part of the state, it would be hard not to be. I don't recall much about the school.

Problem? No problem, s-s-ssir! geez! Finding stylish clothes and gaunt-looking people with pursed lips strutting down a runway, do not a college town make! <sarcasm>

Funny, the OP asked what's the best college town and not what's the best college. But when you are 18, first time away from mommy and daddy, it doesn't matter if it's artsy fartsy Norman types or OSU hog-calling, beer-drinking rednecks, you WILL have fun. I know I did, and I went to Cameron when I was 17 and had a blast!

Are you sure you are responding to me? That really didn't answer my post. I know what the original question was so what difference does it make if someone who answered "Norman" went to school at OU or not?

Apart from the OU/OSU pissing contest, are there other nice college towns in OK?

Someone mentioned Talequah but I've never been there.

UCO actually has a far better college scene than OSU. And of course, TU and OCU could be great, but at this moment in time, leave a lot to be desired for inner city "college towns". But they're getting there.

UCO actually has a far better college scene than OSU.

Your disdain for Stillwater and OSU is painfully obvious. Oh, but I'm sure you're speaking objectively and from experience here, right?

That is correct.

That is correct.

Love someone of few words who isn't afraid to use them!

UCO actually has a far better college scene than OSU.

Just when I thought this thread couldn't get any more ridiculous, you go and say this.

I went to OU back in the Cretaceous Period, and I really loved the campus corner atmosphere. Two stores stood out in my mind, Toto's for pizza and the Gramophone for stereo gear. I miss eating there back when pizza was affordable for a broke college kid.

I think they also had Orin's Pizza, something like that?

I think the core of Norman is a great college town.

I think that Oklahoma is lucky to have such great college towns like Stillwater and Norman. I'm very partial to Stillwater since OSU is my alma mater, but Norman has its draws too. Excellent restaurants being one of them.

Putting any bias aside, I think that Stillwater qualifies as a "college town" more than Norman. In the summer, (and this is just a guess) nearly half the "town" leaves to go home, do internships, or otherwise carry on. And while I'm sure many students in Norman leave for the summer as well - there is a strong permanent resident population in Norman due to its proximity to Oklahoma City, which I expect to also be a bit of an incentive to stay in Norman for the summer.

I also think that there are several other factors that make Stillwater a better college town - a combination of history and character that are too close to my heart to accurately put into words. I'm sure those of you that went to school at OU have feelings that would equate. Like I said, we're a lucky state - something for everyone.

While I wish I could vote for my alma mater of UCO...I have to put Norman first, followed by Stillwater.

UCO actually has a far better college scene than OSU. And of course, TU and OCU could be great, but at this moment in time, leave a lot to be desired for inner city "college towns". But they're getting there.

Why? Does UCO have a bigger student union as well as a better and more fun atmosphere for homecoming complete, with a bigger parade?

Putting any bias aside, I think that Stillwater qualifies as a "college town" more than Norman. In the summer, (and this is just a guess) nearly half the "town" leaves to go home, do internships, or otherwise carry on. And while I'm sure many students in Norman leave for the summer as well - there is a strong permanent resident population in Norman due to its proximity to Oklahoma City, which I expect to also be a bit of an incentive to stay in Norman for the summer.


I don't think so. I once read an article that stated that most Stillwater businesses only have a slight drop off in business during the summer time.

Apart from the OU/OSU pissing contest, are there other nice college towns in OK?



Alva is nice where Northwestern is. It doesn't look too much like a ghetto. The town sits up high on a plateau, so you can see for miles, quite unlike Stillwater which sets in a bowl or valley. As for Norman it is just plain flat, almost.

...quite unlike Stillwater which sets in a toilet bowl or valley.

Fixed. ;)

Why do you feel such hatred against Stillwater? I've been to Norman more than once and I don't feel such hatred against the place, nor any of the other Oklahoma college towns.

Why do you feel such hatred against Stillwater? I've been to Norman more than once and I don't feel such hatred against the place, nor any of the other Oklahoma college towns.

I wouldn't say hatred.

It's more of a friendly rivalry.

But, I know pokes can be sensitive so I have to watch myself.

What can I say, I was in the Pride of Oklahoma for four years and have horrid memories from the folks in orange.

Funny thing is, most of you OU fans posting on this thread most likely did not go to the University of Oklahoma. You are only arguing that it is a better college town because you like the football team. Congratulations!

Ah yes. The obligatory, "OU FANS NEVER STEPPED FOOT IN A BUILDING ON ITS CAMPUS...AT LEAST ALL OF OSU'S FANS WENT TO OSU." Puhleeze. It's as if OU has no alumni whatsoever.